The brain and spinal cord form the central nervous system, controlling our thoughts, movements, and bodily functions. The spinal cord transmits signals between brain and body, while the brain's regions handle complex tasks like memory, emotions, and decision-making.

Modern imaging techniques allow us to peek inside the brain, revealing its structure and function. From CT scans to fMRI, these tools help psychologists understand how our brains work and how they change over time, shedding light on the neural basis of behavior and mental processes.

The Brain and Spinal Cord

Functions of the spinal cord

• Transmits neural signals between the brain and body through ascending (sensory) and descending (motor) pathways
• Serves as a reflex center for rapid, involuntary responses to stimuli (knee-jerk reflex, withdrawal reflex)
• Integrates and processes sensory and motor information to coordinate simple movements, reflexes, and modulate sensory input before reaching the brain

Regions and roles of the brain

• Hindbrain
  • Medulla oblongata regulates vital functions like breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure
  • Pons acts as a relay station between the cerebral cortex and cerebellum and is involved in sleep and arousal
  • Cerebellum coordinates and fine-tunes motor movements and maintains balance and posture
• Midbrain
  • Tectum processes visual and auditory information and controls orienting responses
  • Tegmentum is involved in motor control, arousal, and sleep regulation
• Forebrain
  • Thalamus serves as a relay station for sensory and motor information and acts as a gateway to the cerebral cortex
  • Hypothalamus regulates homeostasis, emotions, and motivated behaviors (hunger, thirst, sexual drive)
  • Limbic system is involved in emotions, memory, and learning
    • Amygdala processes emotional responses, particularly fear and anxiety
    • Hippocampus is crucial for the formation and consolidation of new memories
  • Cerebral cortex is responsible for higher cognitive functions, perception, and voluntary movement
    • Frontal lobe handles executive functions, planning, decision-making, and motor control
    • Parietal lobe processes somatosensory information, spatial awareness, and attention
    • Temporal lobe is involved in auditory processing, language comprehension, and memory
    • Occipital lobe is responsible for visual processing and perception
  • The cerebral cortex is divided into two hemispheres, each specializing in different functions

Brain imaging techniques in psychology

• Structural imaging techniques
  • Computerized Tomography (CT) scan uses X-rays to create cross-sectional images of the brain, is quick and less expensive, but has limited resolution and exposes the patient to radiation
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of brain structures with high spatial resolution and no radiation exposure, but is expensive and time-consuming
• Functional imaging techniques
  • Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) measures changes in blood flow and oxygenation in the brain during mental tasks, providing high spatial resolution and real-time brain activity, but is expensive and has a delay between neural activity and blood flow changes
  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET) uses radioactive tracers to measure metabolic activity or neurotransmitter levels in the brain, allowing the study of specific neurotransmitter systems and metabolic processes, but is invasive, expensive, and exposes participants to radiation
  • Electroencephalography (EEG) measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp, offering high temporal resolution and being non-invasive and relatively inexpensive, but has low spatial resolution and can only measure surface brain activity

Neural Communication

• Neurons are the basic building blocks of the nervous system, responsible for transmitting information
• Synapses are the junctions between neurons where information is passed from one neuron to another
• Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers released at synapses to communicate between neurons
• Brain plasticity refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt in response to experience and learning